1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to building structures and more particularly to an insulating roof system.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Various types of roofing systems have been developed by the prior art for numerous types of building structures. Most of these devices have been specifically designed for a particular need and have met with various degrees of success in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,345,221 to G. E. Swenson, demonstrates the application of a corrugated sheet with an insulating board secured thereto by nails overlaid by a surface coating and a finishing board.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,861,525 to F. W. Curtis et al, demonstrates the use of a fire retardant roof and vapor barrier whereby a sheet metal roof is overlaid by a non-combustible adhesive for affixing an insulating layer thereon. A waterproofing surface layer is then affixed to the insulating layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,432 issued to J. H. Bowman, shows a roof system for a sheet metal roof provided with laterally spaced parallel folds projecting downward with a thermal insulation covering the metal deck and fastened thereto by nails driven through the insulation into clips engaging the fold of the sheet metal roof.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,177,618 to B. M. Jacobs teaches the use of prefabricated panels for an A-frame construction with each panel including separate layers of sheeting filled with an insulating material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,306 to R. E. Oliver incorporates an insulating structure employing an adhesive for providing a vapor-tight bond between adjacent vapor barriers of adjacent insulators.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,847 to A. Josek demonstrates the use of edge flashing for a roof providing a waterproof seal for the thermal extensions of butt joint and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,495 to E. Simpson, Jr. illustrates the use of a combined flashing and fascia system and method incorporating an L-shaped fascia for sealing the terminating edge of a roofing system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,483,664 to S. A. Funk et al illustrates a reinforced plastic roofing sheet with an underlay of open cell plastic foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,585,766 to S. Leslie Jamieson relates to a flashing construction for a flat roof wherein a flexible waterproof flashing membrane is secured to an upper edge of a seat and adapted to cover the cant and merge of roofing felt to form a weathertight flashing construction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,269 to Harry S. Fisher et al demonstrates a fascia plate for a substantially horizontal roofing support wherein the fascia plate includes a slot for receiving a flexible impervious flash strip, a part of which is sealed by asphalt to the roofing material.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,884 to R. S. Dunn et al teaches a method of roof construction utilizing a flexible roof cover sheet and a roof locking member which is rotated to stretch the cover sheet in a lateral direction to rigidly fasten the cover sheet to the building structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,546 to Gerald Martin et al discloses a modular roof construction whereby roof modules may be joined together to overlay portions of the central trusses for nailing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,873 issued to Sherman A. Stewart et al discloses a twin membrane, self-sealing, mechanically fastened, insulating roof deck system wherein spacing between insulating substrate boards are filled with insulating foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,922 to Frank S. Elliott illustrates a roof apparatus for mobile homes and the like using laminated layers of different materials to provide an insulating roof structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,628 to Charles Kreimer illustrates an eave thermal baffle insulation to prevent air and moisture from going through the eave to the insulation of the roof system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,346 to John Kaufmann teaches a roof composition and construction having an insulating member of plastic foam covered with a protective sheet made of reinforced concrete covered by a weather impervious rubber structured membrane.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,487 to Alfred St. Clair discloses a roof construction utilizing thermal plastic panels arranged in an edge contacting relationship to span the roof underpanels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,817 issued to Frank S. Elliott, together with U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,922 to Frank S. Elliott, are among the most pertinent prior art teaching the use of an insulating roof apparatus of flexible layers of different materials including insulating and sealing materials. A major disadvantage of the aforesaid patents resides in the lamination of the various elements into a unitary structure thereby necessitating the use of sophisticated equipment in order to lift the insulation to the top of the roof for installation. Further, the vapor barrier of these prior art structures are disposed adjacent to a waterproof covering material thereby providing a redundant function of a waterproof vapor barrier adjacent a waterproof covering. Further, the use of flexible insulation in proximity to the edge of the roof surface requires flashing material which extends over the top of the roof structure thereby increasing the possibility of leakage of the roofing system.
Therefore it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the roof insulation art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a roof insulating system and method incorporating two distinct types of insulation, namely a rigid insulation disposed around the outer perimeter of the roof of a building with a flexible insulating disposed in the central area of the building roof, whereby the rigid insulation provides mechanical stability and support for a waterproof covering.
Another object of this invention is to provide a roof insulating system and method wherein the rigid insulation is secured to the building structure by adhesive or similar means to provide lateral stability to the insulation system upon the roof of the building.
Another object of this invention is to provide a roof insulating system and method wherein the installation of the insulation system can be accomplished without the use of specialized tools or equipment required to lift the component elements to the roof of the building.
Another object of this invention is to provide a roof insulating system and method incorporating rigid insulation disposed in the central area of the roof of the building for providing additional support to an overlaying waterproof covering.
Another object of this invention is to provide a roof insulating system and method which is low in material and installation cost and is essentially maintenance free.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description describing the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.